Catalyst containing Group VIII metals plus modifiers such as alkali metals, tin, germanium, lead, indium, gallium, etc. are well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,914,075 discloses a dehydrogenation catalyst comprising a Group VIII metal component, an alkali or alkaline earth metal component and a component selected from tin, germanium, lead, indium, gallium, thallium or mixtures thereof. This catalyst is prepared by impregnating the support with the desired components. It is also known that chelating ligands can be used to impregnate metals onto a support. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,196 discloses preparing a catalyst using a solution containing ethylene diaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), a noble metal and ammonia.
Applicants have developed a process for preparing catalysts which involves the use of a chelating ligand to simultaneously impregnate a Group VIII metal and a promoter metal. The process involves preparing a solution containing a chelating ligand such as EDTA and a promoter metal. This solution is heated and then mixed with a solution containing a Group VIII metal compound and the resultant mixed solution aged. This aged solution is now used to impregnate a refractory oxide support such as .theta.-alumina, followed by calcination and reduction to provide the desired catalyst.